NAME
systemd-ask-password - Query the user for a system password
SYNOPSIS
systemd-ask-password [OPTIONS...] [MESSAGE]
DESCRIPTION
systemd-ask-password may be used to query a password or passphrase interactively from the user, using a question prompt specified on the command line. When run from a TTY it will query a password on the TTY and print it to standard output. When run with no TTY or with --no-tty it will use a system-wide or per-user agent-based query mechanism, which allows active users to respond via several agents, listed below.
The purpose of this tool is to query system-wide or per-user passwords — the former includes passwords possibly not associated to a specific user account. Examples include: unlocking encrypted hard disks when they are plugged in or at boot, entering an SSL certificate passphrase for web and VPN servers.
Existing system-level agents are:
Answering system-wide password queries is a privileged operation, hence all the agents listed above (except for the last one), run as privileged system services. The last one also needs elevated privileges, so should be run through run0(1) or similar.
Additional password agents may be implemented according to the systemd Password Agent Specification[1].
If a password is queried on a TTY, the user may press TAB to hide the asterisks normally shown for each character typed. Pressing Backspace as first key achieves the same effect.
OPTIONS
The following options are understood:
--icon=
--id=
Added in version 227.
--keyname=
Added in version 227.
--credential=
Added in version 249.
--timeout=
--echo=yes|no|masked
Added in version 249.
--echo, -e
Added in version 217.
--emoji=yes|no|auto
Added in version 249.
--no-tty
--accept-cached
--multiple
--no-output
Added in version 230.
-n
Added in version 249.
--user, --system
Added in version 257.
-h, --help
EXIT STATUS
On success, 0 is returned, a non-zero failure code otherwise.
SEE ALSO
systemd(1), systemd-ask-password-console.service(8), systemd-tty-ask-password-agent(1), keyctl(1), plymouth(8), wall(1)
NOTES
- 1.
systemd Password Agent Specification
- 2.
XDG Icon Naming Specification